The McDonald's Corporation said it would begin working with its pork suppliers to phase out the use of so-called gestational crates, the tiny stalls in which sows are housed while pregnant.
Animal rights advocates have singled out the crates, known as sow stalls, as inhumane, and several states have moved to ban or restrict their use not only in pork production but also in the production of eggs and veal.
"McDonald's believes gestation stalls are not a sustainable production system for the future," Dan Gorsky, senior vice president for supply chain management for McDonald's North America, said in a statement. "There are alternatives we think are better for the welfare of sows."
